Breathing
by biggerthanwhales
Summary: Shepard comforts Liara after the Fall of Thessia.


_You're right, I know..._

She had to turn her back.

She couldn't look at Liara— not at what's left of her. Shepard closed her eyes and remembered the first time she saw the archeologist at Therum, the scene playing perfectly clear as if it were some footage embedded in her brain. Liara had been afraid. Shepard had noticed the slight tremor of Liara's body as the commander approached closer. But there was a glint of hope in her eyes upon realizing that Shepard had come to her rescue. A sheen of innocence painted her being and for Shepard, Liara was a welcoming breath of fresh air. She wasn't like the others. Liara believed in her more than anyone had claimed, and when the human spectre gazed into the asari's eyes she could see it: a future.

But this time, those remarkable blue orbs were different. They were—

_I just wish there was something I could do to help right now..._

She did too. More than she wanted to end this war, she wanted to protect Liara from what Shepard herself had gone through when Earth succumbed to the Reapers. Shepard didn't have time to mourn her own home, and yet she's a little relieved that she never had the chance.

Death is always an option for a soldier. They must be ready to make sacrifices for their people. It's what Shepard knew all her life, believed all her life.

Until Liara. Until her, Shepard fought to serve her purpose as a soldier. Now she fought for the chance to have a life with a person she loves deeply.

Shepard drew a long breath. In a few hours they could all be dead, and realizing this, she'd rather spend these remaining moments comforting Liara. Making her happy.

She carefully maneuvered towards the bed. She crawled behind the sobbing form, and if Liara felt her movements, she didn't give any indication that she did. She took it as a positive sign and slowly snaked an arm around her eluded the young commander; its expression wasn't a common occurrence among the military— so she never had to deal with comforting someone, much less herself.

But seeing Liara's shaking form... Shepard had to hold her. She didn't care if this wasn't within her code of conduct as a soldier, or if the council's calling her attention on videocom. Liara comes first— before her duty, before her own fears and her own cry for solace.

Before anything.

For several seconds she just held Liara loosely, asking the asari for permission. It was granted with Liara's unrelenting silence. For a moment they stayed in this position, shutting down the barricade until Liara spoke, her voice thick with emotion.

"Shepard, I—"

"Shhh..." Shepard's hold on her grew firm and she gently pulled the trembling asari to her so that she ended up pressed warmly against Liara's back. "Meld with me. I'll make you feel better. Promise..."

Liara did so with a bit of hesitance, not really wanting to share the burden of pain but the human insisted. Shepard hissed sharply when she's immediately flooded with Liara's despair.

"I've got you," Shepard whispered into her crest. The asari in her arms continued to cry, and so did the stabbing rip in Shepard's chest. She was hopeless when it came to loss; they were all orphans in this chaos.

"I'm sorry." Shepard mumbled brokenly. Sorry I couldn't save Thessia. Sorry I couldn't stop Kai Leng from stealing the information so many lives have sacrificed for. Sorry...

Only then did Liara turn to face her, burying her head in Shepard's chest. A fresh wave of tears started flowing freely down her pale blue cheek, soaking the material of Shepard's garment in the process. She pulled Liara more firmly to her, making sure they touched everywhere.

Shepard concentrated on digging around for comforting memories she had before this all started. But all of them paled in comparison to the memories she created with Liara.

So she showed them to her lover, reminding her that they still had each other. That even if the whole universe caves in, they would still belong to each other.

"I love you, Shepard."

And as those words were uttered, Shepard tried not to dwell too much into the thought that it could be the last time she'd ever hear them from Liara.

"I love you too, so much..."

She will worry about Cerberus and the Reapers later. For now, they were breathing.

It was all that mattered.

* * *

**AN:** I know, I know. ME3 came out last March but I only started playing last week. And I have all these FemShep/Liara feels, I can't.

Sigh. I just wanted Shepard to cuddle the fuck out of Liara after the Fall of Thessia.

There you go, a short drabble. Thanks for reading.


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